Homer Glen senior complex expanding
By Michelle Mullins For The Herald-News September 17, 2012 8:14AM
Maps
Updated: October 20, 2012 6:05AM
HOMER GLEN — The Victorian Village assisted-living and retirement community received approval recently to build a $25 million expansion to its Homer Glen development.
Providence Management and Development wants to break ground this year for three buildings at the Victorian Village complex, 12565 Renaissance Circle, said Jeff Courtney, vice president of development and construction.
The project will consist of two single-story buildings with 10 resident rooms each and one two-story building with 30 resident rooms, he said. Each room offers a private bath and has 24-hour nursing care.
The “small house concept” offers a home-like setting with common living and dining rooms, a library, den, porch, patio and garden, and will be the first of its kind in Illinois, although the concept is found in other states, Courtney said.
The homes, designed to have a cozy residential feel, will be for short- and long-term care, he said. Space is available in the home for physical therapy and rehabilitation, he said.
One of the hang-ups of the project was its compliance with the village’s award-winning lighting ordinance. Homer Glen has received international accolades for being a dark-sky community for protecting against light pollution, and the Victorian Village plan did not comply with the lighting requirements.
Mayor Jim Daley and Trustee Tedd Kagianas said the error of the proposal, which emitted less than 1 percent of light above a 90-degree angle thus failing the lighting ordinance, was so minor that the development should move forward as planned.
But other trustees said they were worried about setting a bad precedent by granting a lighting variance and urged the village board to ensure the developer fully complies with the lighting ordinance before an occupancy permit is given.
The 18.5-acre site on 143rd Street, east of Bell Road contains a 54-unit independent-living building, a 60-unit assisted-living building and 65 townhouses.
